ASEAN leaders announce plan for in-person special summit
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will convene a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 24 to discuss efforts in building the ASEAN Community, external relations and regional issues, including the crisis in Myanmar.
Myanmar police tightened security in Hlaingthaya, Yangon in March 2021 (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Jakarta (VNA) - Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will convene a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 24 to discuss efforts in building the ASEAN Community, external relations and regional issues, including the crisis in Myanmar.
Plans for the meeting have been in the works. Earlier on April 16, regional news sources revealed that leaders of 10 ASEAN members, including Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services of Myanmar Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, are to attend the meeting.
The meeting was advocated by host Indonesia and its Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi in the past few weeks, with support from Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and the Philippines.
Cambodian AKP news agency on April 16 reported that Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen has confirmed his attendance.
Brunei, which currently holds the rotating Chairmanship of ASEAN, showed its support for the meeting to discuss the situation in Myanmar.
According to a joint statement issued following a meeting between Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah and Prime Minister of Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin, ministers and high-ranking officials of the two countries have been asked to prepare for the meeting held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.
The statement also expressed concern for the deteriorating situation inside the country, and “urged all parties to refrain from instigating further violence, and for all sides to immediately exercise utmost restraint and flexibility.”./.
Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese Mission to the UN, has voiced concern over the escalation of violence in Myanmar, which has killed hundreds of civilians, while attending a virtual conference of the UN Security Council on April 1.
Vietnam will take actions to speed up the narrowing of development gap in ASEAN, especially in enhancing sub-regional cooperation by holding an ASEAN Forum on narrowing development gaps between sub-regions for comprehensive recovery and sustainable development.
Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese Mission to the United Nations, has called on the international community to make constructive contributions to help Myanmar prevent violence, promote an environment conducive to dialogue and reconciliation while respecting the country's principles of independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity.
State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received ambassadors and chargés d'affaires of ASEAN member states in Hanoi on April 13, as they came to congratulate him on his election as the President of Vietnam.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Myanmar police tightened security in Hlaingthaya, Yangon in March 2021 (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
